A Promise
by Hyperteenager24
Summary: Steve knew Howard loved to push the boundaries of science...but he never thought Stark would cross the line like this
1. Suspicious noises

A Promise

Okay, so I have messed around with the storyline a lot here with Steve being given the serum a lot earlier and rescuing Bucky earlier than in the canon film. This gives them a couple more years with each other before the fall and the subsequent plane crash.

…

"Stark's up ta something…."

Steve rolled his eyes as his best friend and lover grumbled beside him. "You always say that, in fact, even when Howard's just sitting there, you assume he's up to something!"

Bucky scowled as Howard Stark rushed by the Howling Commandos and into his personal lab, "This time I mean it Stevie! Ya gotta admit, he's been shifty…more than usual!"

Steve just shook his head and grinned, "Leave Howard alone Bucks and come and help us review the plan." He then turned his attention back to the maps of Southern Germany. Bucky glared at Howard's lab before paying attention to what Steve was saying.

Whatever Howard was up to, it could wait.

Or so he thought….Two months later, Bucky's original statement was proved to be right.

…

The day had started off as normal. Bucky woke up next to Steve in their shared tent. They got dressed, had breakfast and then they began their morning training with the rest of the Howling Commandos.

During the push-up sets, Dum Dum Dugan glanced over at Bucky and nodded his head in the direction of Colonel Phillips and Agent Carter, who were speaking in hushed tones by the command tent. "What d'ya think they're gossiping about?"

Bucky finished his set and shook his head, "Probably another mission for us…maybe we'll go somewhere a little less rainy this time around!" he glanced up at the sky, where dark clouds were beginning to form overhead.

Their conversation had attracted the attention of the rest of the commandos, including Steve. Falsworth followed the direction of Bucky and Dugan's gaze and nodded in thought, "Yes. They do seem to be rather distressed about something…and I don't think it's mission related."

Gabe frowned at this, "What makes you say that Falsworth? I mean, tell me you don't have super hearing because otherwise, that makes last night really awkward…"

Falsworth glared at the man who had begun to laugh at the look on his friend's face, "No Jones, and to be quite frank, the less I know about your night-time activities the better! I don't think it's mission related because of the look on Agent Carter's face."

They all frowned at this and Falsworth grinned, "She only has that particular expression when she's talking about Mr Stark and his antics. A mix between anger and exasperation, with a tiny hint of disappointment."

Dugan slapped Falsworth on the back, propelling him forward a bit. "Are you going to use those powers of understanding women for good or for evil? Can this skill be taught or is it just a British thing?"

Falsworth shook his head at Dugan's antics as Bucky scoffed. "Well it's no surprise Stark's involved….but Phillips's usually lets Stark do what he likes. I can practically see steam coming out of the top of his head!"

Steve nodded, "Which means that Howard may have crossed the line this time. I'm going to see what the matter is, you guys stay here…look busy okay?"

His team nodded reluctantly as Steve marched over to the pair, a curious smile on his face. "Colonel. Agent Carter. Is everything alright, this seems like an intense conversation?"

Colonel Phillips sighed and gestured towards Howard Stark's lab, "Soldiers have reported strange sounds coming from his lab…stranger than usual. Agent Carter wants to investigate…and I'm inclined to agree with her. Stark's been acting suspiciously for a little under a year now and quite frankly I'm getting sick of it."

Peggy nodded, "Colonel Phillips wants to force his way inside Howard's lab, but there is always the possibility that whatever Howard is doing, is perfectly innocent! Storming in there, guns blazing may do nothing but push Howard away. You know what he's like, if he thinks that we don't trust him, he's going to pack up his stuff and leave. Say what you want about Howard, his inventions have helped us win a fair number of battles. We can't do this without him…"

Steve frowned, "What sort of sounds did the soldiers hear?"

Colonel Phillips sighed, "A few loud bangs…and apparently, what sounds like a kitten, or a trapped cat. Stark swearing a lot…noises like that."

"Well, what's so suspicious about that? No offense to him, but Howard swears a lot, especially when he's working. Bangs aren't that suspicious and maybe the soldiers misheard the cat sound? It could have been the wind?"

Colonel Phillips reluctantly nodded before glaring at the lab that Howard was working in. "Hmmm, maybe…but I don't like it. My gut's telling me that something is wrong and I'll be damned if I let Howard do anything Frankenstieny in my camp!"

Steve suppressed a smile at this and saluted, "Me and the commandos will keep an eye on him if you want?"

Phillips was about to agree, but Peggy beat him to it, "Sorry Captain, but we need you to take a reconnaissance mission out into the south woods. There have reports of Hydra agents roaming about around there. Check it out, see if there's any truth in that and then report back. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary, understood?"

"Understood Peg- I mean Agent Carter."

Steve quickly made his way back over to his team, gesturing for them to pack up their stuff and get ready to move out. As he entered his tent to grab his shield and uniform, he felt a familiar presence behind him. Smiling to himself, he turned around to see Bucky's eyes focused a little lower than what was necessarily proper. "My eyes are up here Bucks…" he chided gently.

Bucky smirked, "But I've got such a nice view from here!"

Steve felt his face flush a little, "Just grab your gun and uniform…"

Bucky grinned at the embarrassed look on his partner's face, "Yes Sir!"

As he holstered his rifle, Bucky couldn't help but stare at his best friend. It seemed like only yesterday he was helping the punk get home after yet another fight with some street bullies….and now look at them. War heroes of America.

"Sooooo…" began Bucky, "…what did Phillips and Carter have to say?"

Steve shook his head, "Some soldiers heard suspicious noises but it's probably nothing. Colonel Phillips is keeping an eye on him though."

"Good…so what's the mission?"

Steve flung an arm around his lover's shoulders, "Simple reconnaissance. Also known as James Buchanan Barnes giving Steven Rogers a heart attack by scurrying up trees without any regard to his safety!"

Bucky laughed as they strode over to the rest of the commandos, "Says you! I swear you've spent half of your life trying to give me grey hairs! Besides, how else am I supposed to get a good vantage point in the woods?! The trees are the highest things out there!"

"Well, you could at least not leap off the branches when we're done. You're going to hurt yourself one of these days!"

Bucky shook his head and sighed, "O how the tables have turned Punk!

"Jerk"

…..

The mission went off without a hitch…sort of. The Howling Commandos managed to gather Intel on the movements of a large number of Hydra agents. The only problem was that a few members of this large group wandered a bit too close to the team…they didn't last long, but thankfully they weren't quick enough to inform the rest of their group.

The real problem occurred when they arrived back at the camp.


	2. A Baby?

Okay, I don't explain the science in this…because I don't understand it myself. I was tempted to just write MAGIC, IT WAS ALL MAGIC! Hopefully you guys can live without all of the jargon.

Kudos are brilliant (for A03) but comments and reviews really make my day :)

….

When they arrived back at the camp, they instantly spotted a large crowd gathering around Howard's personal lab. Steve marched over, a frown etched onto his face. "What's going on? Where's Colonel Phillips?"

The man in question pushed his way through the crowd and silently urged the surrounding soldier's to move away from the lab. Taking a hold of Steve's elbow he led him and therefore the rest of the commandos away from the lab, "Stark's definitely up to something. A little over an hour ago, one of the soldiers walked past Stark's lab…and heard a baby cry. He says he's sure of this because before he was shipped out, his wife gave birth to a son. Apparently the sound is very distinctive."

Bucky shook his head, "So you're telling us Stark's hiding a baby in that lab?! You know what, I'm not even surprised…Howard's reputation for seducing dames is legendary. One of them probably decided not to take any of his crap and dumped the baby on his doorstep!"

Steve sighed wearily, "We would have heard something earlier then…I mean babies are not quiet. And where has he been getting supplies from then, you know food and clothes….diapers? Howard's been like this for a little under a year…he hasn't shown any signs of having a child until now!"

Bucky shrugged, "Maybe the woman stayed with him for nine months"

Dugan slapped Barnes on his back and laughed, "And no-one saw her?! Come on Barnes, we would have noticed either a woman walking around or Howard carrying a bunch of skirts to his lab!"

Phillips nodded in agreement, "He's right Barnes. There has been no sign of any other woman except Agent Carter in this camp…aside from the odd company that the soldiers pick up at the villages and towns."

Steve frowned, "Maybe the soldier heard a recording or something?"

At this moment, Agent Carter joined the group over hearing the last sentence. "We don't think so. Before you arrived, both Colonel Phillips and I heard the crying…it didn't stop Steve. That's why there was such a crowd gathered around the lab. It only really stopped a few minutes ago."

Steve thought to himself for a few moments before nodding. "Well let's find out what Howard's hiding then…" He marched over to the lab, closely followed by the commandos and knocked on the door. "Howard? Howard, what's happening in there? Can we come in?"

There was the sound of things being knocked over inside the lab, before something began to wail. Steve raised his fist to knock again, but before he could, something banged against the door on the other side. "Steve! Hey buddy! Sorry but I'm running quite a delicate experiment, far too dangerous for anyone else to be in here!"

Steve frowned, "An experiment on what Howard?! I can hear the baby, you know?"

"B-baby? I have no idea what you're talking about buddy! Maybe it's some of the equipment you can hear, I mean these machines make some weird ass noises sometimes!"

Steve ducked his head for a moment, as if praying for patience before taking a step back. "Howard…move away from the door."

"….Why?"

"Because I'm going to kick the door down, and I'm sure you don't want a broken nose."

"No, Steve! Steve, wai-"

It was too late. Using only part of his strength, Steve kicked the door down, making sure that it only fell to the floor instead of flying across the room. He and Bucky were the first two into the room and what they saw, stopped them in their tracks.

Bucky sighed and shook his head, "Jesus, I hoped that it wasn't true...Howard Stark has pro-created!"

Howard glared at the man as he desperately rocked the baby in his arms to and fro. The cries continued though. "It's not mine…I'm babysitting?"

Steve took a step closer, "You sure about that Howard?"

Agent Carter and Colonel Phillips pushed their way into the lab. Colonel Phillip's face flushed an angry red when he saw what Howard had in his arms. "STARK! What the hell is going on, this isn't a goddamn nursery!"

Howard frantically tried to explain but Colonel Phillips wasn't having any of it, "No, I don't want to hear it! Where did that baby come from Stark? And don't give me any of that bullshit about babysitting or any of that crap! The truth…NOW!"

For a few minutes, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the baby crying, until Howard sighed and gently placed the baby in Steve's arms. "It's his…"he stated, pointing at Steve.

Steve began to shake his head as Bucky turned away to stare at the wall. "No, no, Bucky I swear I didn't-"

"He's right…" interrupted Howard, "….Steve never cheated on Bucky."

Colonel Phillips frowned, "Then how the hell did the Star-spangled man with a plan father a child when he's as queer as a three dollar bill?!"

Howard rubbed his hands together nervously before answering, "I may have played God just a little….he's a clone. You see I was curious as to whether or not any child of Steve's would also show evidence of having the serum in them. Sadly, it looks as though this one's defective…I mean, from what I can tell-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" yelled Bucky, "Did you just say he was defective?!"

Howard frowned in confusion, "Well, yes. You see, the serum affects every part of the human body, so there was no reason why the baby of Steve wouldn't have the same characteristics! But I should have expected it I suppose…"

Peggy frowned, "And why is that?"

"Well…it's not purely Steve's child. It's Bucky's as well. You see, I combined both of their blood samples in order to get two donors that have been injected with the serum….well a version of it anyway. I won't bore you with the science of it all, but nine months later it was fully developed and I felt that it was ready to leave the growth chamber."

Bucky flinched slightly at the remainder of what Zola had done to him before Howard's words fully caught up with him, "He's a baby boy, not an it…and he's mine as well!?"

He noticed a pre-made bottle of milk on one of the counters and, due to the fact that the baby was still crying, Bucky gently removed him from Steve's arm and proceeded to feed the infant. The sudden silence drew everyone's attention and Howard frowned at the sergeant. "What are you doing Barnes?!"

Bucky rolled his eyes as he continued to feed the baby, who was staring up at him. "I'm holding him, what the hell do you think I'm doing?! Jesus, have you even fed him?"

"…No….I made the bottle, but you guys interrupted me before I could feed him!"

"God forbid the day you breed…" growled Bucky as the bottle was quickly consumed. He gently re-arranged the baby so that it could burp and began to softly coo, "…It's okay, It's okay…"

The baby's head lolled back and forth as Bucky rearranged him again and Bucky couldn't help but grin. This kid was definitely Steve's, the blonde hair and blue eyes supported this…although the hair colour could change and if Bucky looked closely enough, brown flecks were present in those big, blue eyes.

As Colonel was giving Howard the dressing down of his life, Bucky was joined by Steve and Peggy. Peggy smiled as the baby stared up at his 'parents'. "I'm sure we can find a nice home for him in the nearby village. There are lots of couples who are willing to adopt."

Both Bucky and Steve turned to her in shock. "Give him up?! Peggy, he's our kid!"

Peggy shook her head sympathetically, "You two are lucky enough have found love and still be allowed to continue. I mean, if Colonel Phillip's kid wasn't…you know, you may not have been so lucky. But if you start raising a kid, then people outside of this group may raise the alarm. Then you'll all be separated from each other!"

Bucky growled, "Let them try it….look if we're careful and make it seem like the group is the one raising him, not just us specifically, then we'll be alright! We're never in the same place long enough for anyone to notice anyway!"

"Precisely! What kind of a life is that? He needs a stable home. A safe home, he can't grow up surrounded by war! Steve you must understand where I'm coming from here!"

Steve was torn. On the one hand, he could understand why Peggy was reluctant…but when he looked over at Bucky (who was holding his child for God's sake!), he couldn't do it. Bucky looked so lost, so upset by the prospect of having to give up the child that he had only known for a few minutes. Steve sighed and gently removed the baby from Bucky's arms, his heart clenching as Bucky resisted before biting his lip and relinquishing the child. "What do you want to call him?" he asked gently, ignoring the tears welling in Bucky's eyes.

Bucky stood there in shock for a few minutes before breaking out into a blinding grin. "I kinda wanna call him…Oliver. Don't ask me why! I just do!"

Steve nodded and glanced at the commandos, who had been watching the scene from the lab doorway. "See if you guys can find a crib and other baby stuff from the village…we've got work to do."

The baby stared at him, before breaking out in a toothless smile that Steve couldn't help but reciprocate. How hard could this be?


	3. Picky Tastes

I had to do quite a bit of research on this chapter…babies are not my speciality. Still not many comments or reviews…it seems to be popular though, so here we go again!

Please read and review :)

….

"I don't like this Rogers…" stated Colonel Phillips as they strode through the camp, ignoring the stares of the other soldiers. Seeing Captain America holding a baby must have been a surprise after all.

Steve nodded, but before he could say anything, the Colonel continued, "…but I know you're two damn stubborn in order for me to change your mind, so listen to me!" The Colonel thrusted a finger in Steve's face, "If anyone even gets the slightest hint that the kid is yours and Barnes, created by a nutso scientist, and that you and Barnes are shacking it up in your little tent…I will not be able to help you, understand?"

Steve nodded again, "I understand Sir…what's going to happen to Howard?"

Colonel Phillips sighed and glanced back at the lab, "He's going to be under supervision at all time. I don't need him to be playing God every time he gets a little bored….I don't care if what he thinks about this latest development…I don't need any more kids running around."

Before Steve could say anything else, their attention was grabbed by Morita and Dernier rushing past with a crib in their arms. Colonel Phillips stared after them for a few seconds before shaking his head, "I don't want to know…" He marched away towards the command tent, dodging Dugan who was carrying a large box in the same direction that the last two commandos had headed towards.

Steve smiled as Falsworth followed on close behind with another, much smaller, box in his arms. Glancing down at Oliver, Steve couldn't help but grin. He couldn't believe that he was doing this…after falling into a relationship with Bucky, Steve never imagined a life without him and unsurprisingly, dreams about the future never included a child. No matter how much they may have wanted one.

"Hey Stevie!" yelled a voice from behind him. He span around and smiled at Bucky, "…Dugan and the others managed to get some pretty sweet deals from a little old lady who's children are all grown up. She seemed grateful that we were protecting her village from…those Nazi fucks, I believe were the words that were said, but Dugan could have been exaggerating. They got her whole life story…apparently she lived in Berlin all her life and when Hitler started transporting all of the Jewish people to the camps, she quickly moved away…along with all her belongings. She seems like a smart old cookie."

"How much did she give them?" Steve asked as Gabe pushed past with yet another box.

Bucky smirked, "Everything…" he held out his arms for Steve to transfer the baby over, "….clothes, toys, a crib, bottles, blankets…everything that she still had from when her youngest was still a tot. Good thing too, otherwise this would have cost us a fortune. We're stocked up until the kid turns at least eight, judging by how much was in those boxes. All we really have to buy is food…"

They began to walk over to where the commandos were depositing the boxes just as Oliver began to wail again. Steve frowned in concern, "He's not hungry again is he? Because I don't think Howard is in the best of moods for us to be borrowing his hot water supply…"

Bucky shook his head in confusion, "He shouldn't be…it was only an hour ago that I feed him the last time." He lifted Oliver up and sniffed cautiously before gasping for a breath of fresh air, "I think I found a job for Captain America!"

He handed Oliver back over to Steve and ducked back into their shared tent. Steve sniffed and instantly regretted it….then panic set in. He had no idea how to change a diaper.

"Steve?" With Oliver's wails growing even louder, it was no surprise that it had attracted the attention of Agent Carter. "Dare I ask what the matter is?"

Steve glanced at Oliver and then back at Peggy, "B-Bucky said that he needed a diaper change?"

"And left you to it…clever man" chuckled Peggy, but noticing the panicked look on her friends face, she smiled sympathetically. "Come on, I'll show you what to do….and then when Oliver needs another change, then you can show Sergeant Barnes how to do it."

Steve smirked, "Is it wrong to say that I'm looking forward to that conversation?"

"No. Think of it as revenge."

…6 months later…..

"Come on kiddo….come on, it's not that bad!" Bucky sighed as Oliver turned his face away again, protesting noises escaping his mouth. "Kid, come on, you can't have milk forever!"

"Bucky?" Bucky twisted around to look at Steve who had been helping make new plans for storming another Hydra base.

"Captain America! Maybe you can encourage Oli to and least eat another spoonful of his tea?"

Steve smirked at the exasperation in Bucky's voice and knelt down beside him to look Oli in the eye. "Hey buddy, why are you giving Bucks such a hard time...what are you feeding him anyway?"

Bucky held up a spoonful of a mushy, green substance, "Mushy peas. Now I know he's been teething, but I don't' really want to start giving him proper solids in case he chokes. Mushed up stuff seems to be fine, like he had a little bit of my jam this morning and seems fine!"

"We have jam?"

"Yeah, a couple of jars from the last raid…but that's not the point! I don't understand why he's putting up such a fuss!"

"…Maybe he doesn't like mushy peas. We have proper ones don't we?"

"Well, yeah. I had to mash them up after all….why?"

"Give me a few minutes."

Steve ran off to the supply tent so Bucky waited. And waited…and waited. Almost ten minutes later, Steve came rushing out, holding a small bowl of peas. "Sorry, sorry…" he apologised, "…I had to wait for them to cool down." He knelt in front of Oliver and smiled gently, "Now let's see if this works…" he cooed as he held up a small spoonful of whole, cooked peas.

Bucky scoffed, "He won't eat mushy peas, what makes you think-"He paused, his mouth opening in shock as Oliver happily allowed his Dad to feed him the whole peas. "Wha-How!?"

Steve laughed, "I hate mushy peas, but whole ones are fine…I think it's just a matter of taste."

Bucky watched as Steve continued to feed Oliver, shaking his head in disbelief. "Peas are peas, why did we get the weird kid!"

Steve frowned, "He's not weird Bucky…he just doesn't like something, is it that strange?"

Oliver finished up what he was eating and raised his hands in a silent demand to be carried. Bucky grinned and hoisted him out of the seat, "Okay, so you don't like mushy peas…I can work with that."

The small family wandered over the main cooking tent…strange as it may seem, it was one of the safest places in camp, the other being Colonel Phillip's tent and he didn't appreciate being the resident babysitter. At least with the main cooking tent, there was always somebody there to watch over Oliver.

Bucky turned to Steve with a question on his face, "I've been meaning to ask…why were there puzzle pieces all over the tent?"

Steve grimaced, "I thought that it would keep him entertained…."

"He's not even a year old Stevie, no wonder the pieces looked gummed half to death!"

Steve shrugged, "Well, they kept him occupied…just not in the way I expected, and hey, and least they helped with his teething problem!"

Bucky rolled his eyes and sighed as they spotted the cooking tent, "You know, he might have enjoyed it when he was older…now we'll never know."

The Howling Commandos were already there and they waved the three over. "Captain, Sergeant, Pip! Come on, the cook's pleased with our last raid…so much that he's let us pinch some of his pepper. Good thing too, because his cooking's not improved…." Dugan whispered the last bit under his breath.

The pepper granules were clearly on a small plate in the middle of the table and whilst he was talking, Dugan had picked up a small amount between his fingers and showing it to Oliver, who seemed very intrigued by the previously unknown substance…well at least until he breathed in a little too close to it."

"Achoo!"

The look of surprise and confusion on Oliver's face set everyone off laughing.

"Achoo!"

Bucky tightened his hold on Oliver has he propelled himself forwards with his second sneeze. "Careful kiddo! You don't wanna hit your head!"

"Achoo!"

Aside from the chuckles of the commandos, there was silence for a few minutes, with Oliver glancing around, a confused look on his face when he saw that everyone was staring at him. Steve gently stroked Oliver's hair as the baby's face screwed up in displeasure, "It's okay Oli, we're not laughing at you, we swear…"

Oliver stared at him for a bit before breaking out into a semi-toothless smile…then his eye lids began to slowly slip shut, the time of the day finally catching up to him. A few minutes later, he was fast asleep.

Bucky gently re-arranged him and grinned at the group, "O this is going to be fun. He's curious now, think how bad it'll be when he starts to crawl and walk!"

Steve shook his head, "I remember what my mom used to say about the children in the hospital where she worked…the sooner they walk and talk, the sooner they're answering back and getting into trouble…maybe we'll be lucky and he'll just age past all of the tough years?"

Bucky shook his head, "If he's anything like you, then simple curiosity is the least of our worries. I'll be grey before he's thirteen!"

As they walked back to their tent, Steve flung a friendly arm around Bucky's shoulders, "Don't worry Buck…" he whispered in his partner's ear, and "…I'll still love you, no matter what."


	4. Runaway

I had to do some research on WW2 and the conditions soldiers lived under, specifically with bathing. I got a lot of different answers. So, I had to delve into comic book knowledge slightly :S

Please read and review :)

…..

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Oliver! Happy Birthday to you!"

Oliver looked very confused by what was happening as he twisted his head in order to see everybody. Almost everyone was present although several soldiers were only there because of the fresh food that was guaranteed to be there.

"C'mon kiddo, time to blow out the candle!" cheered Bucky as Steve held Oliver up. A few seconds passed with Oliver trying to reach for the pretty light that was just out of his reach, so Steve surreptitiously blew it out for him. Everyone cheered as though Oliver had done it….which made the one year old grin, his arms now reaching out for Bucky.

Bucky gently took the child into his arms and bounced him up and down, making Oliver giggle with the sensation. Steve glanced around, "I can't believe how this has turned out…" he chuckled, "…fresh cake, new toys and no Hydra agents making a surprise appearance…I think we've outdone ourselves!"

Bucky nodded, wincing slightly as Oliver tugged on his hair. "Yeah, well we couldn't let him spend his first birthday with no presents now could we? Not that he'll remember this mind you…"

Steve shrugged, "It's the thought that counts…"

"Damn straight it does, and I think that this cake is a little dry. I know he's not gonna remember it, but Pip's first birthday shouldn't be with dry cake, isn't that right kiddo?" Dugan laughed, taking Oliver out of Bucky's arm.

Glancing around, in order to make sure that nobody was around, Dugan held Oliver up and pointed at Bucky, "Hey Pip, can you say Momma for me?"

Bucky rolled his eyes, "Knock it off Dugan, I ain't the kid's mom…get him to call me Papa instead, that makes way more se-"

"Momma!"

They all stared at shock at the one year old, who just giggled, holding his arms out for Bucky. "Momma!"

Ignoring Dugan's hysterical laughter, Bucky lifted Oliver out of Dugan's arms and looked him in the eyes, a serious expression on his face. "Papa…say it with me….Pa-pa"

Oliver stared at him in confusion before giggling and patting Bucky on the nose, "Momma!"

Bucky sighed, glaring at Steve as the man laughed. "S-sorry Buck…" he gasped in between breaths, "…but I don't think you're going to have any effect here!"

Bucky scowled, but before he could say anything, a scout ran into the camp. "Captain! Captain! Hydra agents are coming in from the north woods!"

Steve nodded, his whole attitude instantly transforming into his Captain America persona. "Bucky, quickly take Oli to Howard…he'll be in the lab and Hydra won't get that far."

Bucky nodded and ran towards the lab, taking only a second to stroke Oliver's hair before handing him over to a very shocked Howard and then rushing off towards the battle. Howard stared at the doorway for a bit before staring at the baby in his arms.

"What the hell am I meant to do now?!"

….

The fight between the Allies and Hydra didn't last very long. An hour at the most really, but the Allies lost a few good men during it. As they entered the camp, their steps a little sadder than from earlier that day, Bucky found his attention drawn to Howard, who was ducking into every tent and then coming out looking very panicked.

"Howard!" called out Bucky as they walked closer, "This is a strange sight…I didn't know you were even able to leave your lab!"

The man in question span around to stare at the commandos, "I-I didn't expect you back so soon…how was it?"

The commandos twisted their heads in confusion. Steve glared suspiciously at Howard, "We were fighting Hydra Howard…how is it meant to be anything other than a necessary evil?"

Howard shrugged, glancing around frantically. "I heard it was polite to ask somebody how an activity went…social niceties aren't really my thing."

Bucky rolled his eyes, "Tell to that to all the women who enter this camp, practically swooning at your touch."

"Well maybe it's just heavily armed men I have an issue with…."

Bucky smirked at this before glancing around, but as the minutes passed his face grew tight in confusion and concern. "Howard…" the scientist looked up in guilty, "…please tell me that Oliver is safely napping in your lab, completely unaware of everything that has been happening?"

Howard avoided Bucky's gaze, "Yeah, yeah of course he is…I'm okay with him staying there for the time being so you guys can have some time to yourselves for bit, okay?"

Bucky and Steve glanced at each other. Howard was clearly lying, despite the winning smile on his face. Steve frowned, "Howard…where's Oliver?"

There was silence for a few minutes before Howard threw his hands up in despair, "I looked away for a few seconds! You didn't tell me the brat had learnt to walk! I thought if I just left him on the floor then he'd find a way to keep himself occupied!"

Bucky stood there for a moment, taking everything in before walking slowly up to Howard and striking him in the face, knocking the man to the ground. "You…IDIOT! YOU SELF-OBSSESSED BASTARD!"

Howard lay there in shock as Bucky leapt over him, already calling out Oliver's name in a desperate attempt to find him. He was quickly joined by the rest of the Howling Commandos and Steve and they raced all around the camp, calling out for the one year old.

Bucky felt like they must have been searching for hours. Every place they searched turned up a dead end. Every time they called out Oliver's name, they were met only with silence. Every minute that passed by, Bucky felt his heart break just a little more.

This couldn't be it.

They'd only spent a year together, this couldn't be it!

Shaking his head, Bucky re-focused his thoughts on trying to find his kid. By this point, he had ventured slightly out of the camp, which had been set up near a farm. Whilst the farm house was quite far away, the abandoned barn wasn't too far from the camp. Hydra agents often tried to hide out in there in order to take the Allies by surprise, but thanks to hourly patrols, they were soon sniffed out.

"Oliver!?" called out Bucky as he stepped closer to the barn, his gun raised as he prepared for the worst. "Oliver?!"

There was a slight rustling sound, within the barn which prompted Bucky to aim at the large pile of hay that was at the back of the barn. The rustling continued, before a small face popped out from behind the hay, large beaming grin on his face. "Momma!"

Bucky could have cried in relief as he gently holstered the gun on the ground and held out his arms as Oliver slowly toddled over. Once he reached Bucky, the man picked him and span him around, smiling as Oliver giggled in delight.

"O thank god! Why? Why did you choose today to show us that you knew how to walk?!" scolded Bucky, as they walked back towards the camp, Bucky picking strands of hay out of Oliver's clothes and hair. "Look at you buddy! You're all messy! You know what that means…"

Washing wasn't easy in the army, especially as this particular squadron moved all over Europe, taking down Hydra bases. Generally they tried to camp near a lake in order to keep the uniforms clean and give themselves a quick wash down at least once a week. The water was always cold unless you happened to do Howard a favour. He had a kettle in his laboratory and using an old tub, hot water could be made available….but he didn't let many use it.

Oliver was a special exception. Due to Howard's involvement in Oliver's existence, Colonel Phillips insisted that hot water be made available for bottles and bathing when necessary. The only issue was that Oliver hated baths. Every time Bucky or Steve got the tub out, Oliver would wail and struggle with whoever was carrying him until he was actually placed in the water, where he would just sulk until he was out.

Bucky entered the camp, with Oliver still firmly in his arms. "Steve! Steve, it's okay! I've got him!" he called out, grinning as Steve and the rest of the commandos rushed over, relief evident on their faces.

Steve lifted Oliver into his own arms, smiling widely. "Silly boy! Where was he Bucks?"

"In the barn…"

"The one near the camp?! But the Hydra agents-"

Bucky nodded, "I know…we were lucky today. The attack must have required everyone, so there was no-one in the barn to spot Oli"

Steve sighed in relief, "Thank God…maybe we should reconsider having Howard as a babysitter?"

Bucky raised an eyebrow, "Gee you think?! Tell you what, you can give him the good news and I'll give the runaway a bath. Dugan, you wanna help?"

Dugan shook his head quickly, "I swear I still have a bruise from the last time I helped. Falsworth will though won't you?"

The rest of the commandos, aside from Falsworth, nodded quickly before rushing off, probably to tell everyone else that Oliver had been found. Steve grinned and handed Oliver over, patting Falsworth on the back before striding off towards Howard's lab. "I'll go fetch the tub and water Bucks…good luck Falsworth!"

The Englishman turned to Bucky in despair, his mouth open in preparation to protest but it was too late. Bucky held a hand up and shook his head, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. "Sorry Falsworth, but there's no way I'm doing this on my own."

Falsworth glanced down at Oliver, who was beginning to frown….as though he realized what was what going on. "Heaven's help us…"

….

The bath went about as well as could be expected. Oliver shrieked his head off, with tears streaming down his face and water splashing all over both Bucky and Falsworth as the baby struggled. Thankfully, they managed to finish and put Oliver down for bed.

Night fell and soon and everyone who wasn't on night-watch soon fell asleep….that is, until the watchmen called out a warning.

"HYDRA! HYDRA AGENTS INCOMING FROM THE NORTH!"


	5. Shot

This chapter contains dubious medical knowledge and child injury, so be warned!

Please read and review :)

….

"HYDRA! HYDRA AGENTS INCOMING FROM THE NORTH!"

Steve and Bucky shot up out of their bed as the cries of the watchmen shattered through the peace and quiet of the camp. The cry had also woken Oliver up, who began to wail at the suddenness of it all.

"Bucky!" yelled Steve, "Keep an eye on Oliver, we can't risk bringing him out of the tent…not if Hydra are so close."

Bucky began to protest, only to be stopped in his tracks as Steve held up a commanding finger "Don't argue with me on this Buck! Please, just stay here!"

It took a few seconds, but Bucky finally nodded to show that he understood. Steve smiled thankfully before grabbing his shield and rushing out of the tent. Once he was gone, Bucky quickly overturned the two cots that he and Steve had pushed together, before lifting Oliver out of the crib and overturning that as well…well after grabbing Oliver's tattered teddy bear.

Once he had built a suitable fortress within the tent, Bucky held Oliver close to him, softly soothing him as the sounds of gunshots started within the camp. "It's okay kiddo…it's okay, everything is gonna be okay."

They hid behind the cots for quite a few minutes, listening to the sounds of the fight getting closer and closer to their tent. Suddenly the tent was ripped apart by gunshots as someone open fired on the tent. Oliver screamed as bullets began to strike the metal frames of the cots, shredding the blankets and mattresses. To be honest, Bucky was quite close to joining him…if it wasn't for the rifle that lay beside them. Gently placing Oliver on the ground, Bucky grabbed the rifle and peeked over the top of the bunks just as Hydra began to reload.

"Gotcha…" he muttered as he spotted shadows moving outside of the tent…unfriendly shadows. Aiming carefully, he was able to take out two agents before the third one had managed to reload. Ducking down again, Bucky gently picked up Oliver and smiled at him, "See honey, Mom-I mean Papa's got it all under control!"

Oliver continued to wail, not even responding to Bucky's attempts at soothing him. Not even Bucky making his teddy dance in front of him could calm him down. Bucky frowned as the gunshots suddenly cut off, "See, it's over. No more loud noises…"

Hearing the tent door rustle as it was opened, Bucky quickly peeked his head over the top of the cots only to sigh in relief when he saw Steve…Oliver continued to scream. "Oh, thank god…" sighed Bucky, "…he won't stop screaming! I know it's the first time this has happened, but nothing is working!"

Steve frowned in concern as he bent down to lift Oliver into his own arms, wincing as Oliver's screams increased in volume. The reason for this soon became clear…On Oliver's right side, his red all-in-one was turning a darker shade of red. Gently, Steve unbuttoned Oliver's pyjamas and eased them down, only to rush out closely followed by Bucky a few seconds late. "STEVE! WHAT IS IT!?"

"OLI'S BEEN HIT!"

…

They were lucky really. A bullet, which had passed though the tent earlier in the fight, had only grazed Oliver's upper right side. The camp doctor stitched him up and informed Steve and Bucky (matter of factly) that had the bullet been any further to the left, then it might have hit his liver.

Bucky felt horrible. Oliver had been given a reasonable dose of painkillers and was now happily asleep, but despite Steve offering, Bucky wouldn't hold him. How could he when Oli had been hurt in his care!? Steve quickly re-arranged the tent to the way that it was and pushed the two cots together. The tent had been replaced, as had the mattresses and blankets, however, they were still short one crib which had been shredded during the fight. Steve turned to face Bucky, who had curled up on the cot next to the tent wall, his back facing Steve and Oliver.

Steve frowned before attempting to start a conversation, "Looks like we may have to get another crib. The next village should have one, but he'll have to sleep with us for the time being."

Silence.

Steve settled on the second cot, next to Bucky, and gently placed Oliver on his chest so that he could continue to sleep. "It wasn't your fault you know…"

"I should have been quicker…" muttered Bucky.

"Bucky, you did the right thing! If you hadn't have moved the cots, then both you and Oliver would be dead!"

"But-"

"No buts soldier!" Steve gently encouraged Bucky to turn over and face them. Once he had, Steve pointed at Oliver, who was oblivious to the tense conversation, "…look at him Bucky. He's okay and he's gonna remain okay. The only ones who should be blamed for this are Hydra!"

Bucky remained silent for a few minutes before nodding, "Okay…I'm not saying you're totally right Stevie…but you may have a point. I'm just not sure that he particularly wants me to be holding him!"

Steve scoffed, gently lifting Oliver up off his own chest and placing him on Bucky's, despite his lover's protests. Bucky remained very still for a few seconds before relaxing, smiling softly as Oliver blearily snuffled as he was disturbed. The one year old, slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head to stare at Bucky, who couldn't help but chuckle….the glazed look in Oliver's eyes told them that the painkillers were still having an effect on his tiny body.

Oliver dopily grinned at Bucky and patted his hand on the chest beneath him. "Sssshhhh Momma…" the baby murmured before his head fall back onto Bucky's chest and he fell fast asleep again. Bucky could feel his eyes growing hot as tears began to build up within them. Steve grinned at the happy look on Bucky's face which Bucky caught out of the corner of his eye.

"Shut up punk…" he muttered, quickly rubbing his eyes, "…there's an eyelash in my eye!"

"Both of them?"

"…Punk!"

"Jerk."

Bucky was about to reply…until he felt a sudden, wet warmth on his chest. He grimaced in disgust, "Steve…please tell me that the doc put a diaper on the kid."

Judging by the look on Steve's face, Bucky took the answer to be a no. He sighed wearily as the smell of urine hit his nose.

"The next task on our list is potty training this kid….this jacket was my best!"

"I thought the blue one was?"

"Okay so this is my second best…the point is, Oliver needs to be potty trained and soon. Diapers aren't exactly cheap you know!"

Steve grinned, "Well, just so you know….that's not a job for Captain America!"


	6. A Proposal

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…

"Oliver! Oliver get back here right now!"

Oliver giggled as he lifted his prize over his head and continued to run through the camp. His bare feet pressing into the wet mud, leaving a tiny trail behind him. It had been a year and a half since Hydra agents had made their way into the camp and shot Oliver, the bullet grazing his side. At first, Bucky was worried that it may have a lasting effect on Oliver's physique, but judging by his current speed and strength, they had nothing to worry about in that regard.

Once Oliver had hit his toddler years, Howard had begun to keep a closer eye on the boy and much to his surprise, Oliver had begun to match up to his original hypothesis of replicating the serum through cloning. Over the last year, his speed and strength had exceeded that of a normal two year old. The problem was that with these new abilities, came a new sense of mischief…currently Oliver was running through the camp with his Dad's shield above his head.

Whilst Steve found it quite amusing, Bucky was less impressed…after all, he was the one who had to chase the kid down. He sighed as the kid glanced behind him and giggled, running a bit faster past a group of soldiers who laughed at the scene. Bucky glared at them before speeding up himself, "Oliver, I swear to all that is holy, if you don't get your ass back here right now you arein for a spanking! Banished to our tent, no playing with Agent Carter, no annoying Colonel Phillips, nothing!"

Oliver just giggled and glanced back again…this was the wrong decision. Due to not paying attention, Oliver tripped over a rogue branch, sending him and the shield flying into the mud. This enabled Bucky to catch up and before Oliver was able to recover, he scooped his kid up with one arm and the shield with the other. "You continued to run kid, which means that you're in trouble…."

Clearly displeased at the prospect, Oliver began to scream and wail. "NOOOOOO! NOOOOOO!" Bucky ignored him, walking into the tent and throwing the shield at Steve, "We need to put that in a safe place, I swear this is the twentieth time he's ran off with it!"

Steve shook his head as Oliver was placed down in his bed, "You're exaggerating Bucks. He's only taken it a few times…." Oli lay down and began to his the mattress with his fists and his feet, still screaming at the top of his lungs. Steve winced as the screams escalated in volume, "What did you say to him?!"

Bucky frowned as Oliver continued to throw a tantrum, "I told him that if he didn't stop running, I'd spank him….he didn't stop, so he's now in a lot of trouble."

"Ahhhhh…." Exclaimed Steve in understanding. Bucky rolled his eyes and pointed at Oliver, "You can look after him whilst I have a quick break, before. Make sure he doesn't leave the tent, he's in trouble remember!"

With that, Bucky stormed out of the tent with Oliver's screams still echoing in his ears. Steve sighed as Oliver glared at him as Steve lifted him up out of the bed. "Sorry kiddo, but you heard Bucky. You're in trouble….now I know Bucky will never actually spank you, just threaten you with it, but you do need to stay in here. You are being punished after all!"

Steve gently placed Oliver on the ground, only to scoop him up again as Oliver made a run for the tent entrance. "Alright kiddo, I see how it is…." Steve sat right by the entrance of the tent and placed Oliver down again, smirking as the kid frowned in displeasure upon realising that his way out was blocked. Whining in frustration, Oliver began to stomp around the tent, kicking everything that got in his way.

Steve just shook his head and smiled at the antics of his kid. "I know kiddo, it's unfair…but have a lot of toys in here so you'll be fine!"

Oliver ignored him and continued to stomp around the tent, shoving his toys out of the way. This went on for a few minutes with Oliver yelling "I don't wike it!" after every kick. He pushed climbed onto his parent's bed and began to push the bedding and pillows off of the bed until he spotted something. A small box was under his Dad's pillows. He frowned, picking it up as Steve, who had noticed the pause in the tantrum, lifted him up onto his knee.

Steve grinned at the surprise on Oliver's face as he lifted what was in the box, up to his eyes. "What'cha got there kiddo?"

Oliver held the object up towards his Dad and grinned, his previous tantrum seemingly forgotten. "Shiny Daddy! It a shiny wing!"

Steve gently took the ring out of Oli's fingers and twisted it around in his own fingers. "Yeah it is…I'm gonna give it to your Mom-I mean Papa…"

Oliver frowned, "But I wan' it!"

"But it's not for you. Maybe one day you'll find someone you love as much as I love your Papa….and then you'll be able to give them one of these. It's a promise ya see…a promise that you'll love them no matter what happens, a promise that you'll always be there for them through thick and thin."

Steve glanced at the ring and smiled, "So what d'ya think kiddo. You think your Papa will like it?"

There was silence for a few minutes before Oliver reluctantly nodded. Steve grinned, placing the ring back in the box and putting it back under the pillow. Whilst Oliver was calm, Steve took the time to tidy up the tent before Bucky came back.

Ten minutes later Bucky re-entered the tent and sighed, staring at Oliver who was attempting to hide behind his pillow. "Alright kiddo…is there anything you want to say to me?"

Oliver glanced at Steve, who nodded minutely, before turning back to his Papa. "I sowy Momma…I no run off with Daddy's shield anymore…"

Bucky remained stern for a few minutes more before smiling gently and nodding, "Okay. You're still not allowed to go out of this tent for the rest of the day, but I suppose I can lift the punishment tomorrow…..if you're good mind you!"

Oliver nodded eagerly before going back to playing with his teddy. Bucky went to sit by Steve and nudged him in the shoulder, "So how was he really?"

Steve shrugged, "Like every other toddler who was being punished I imagine. Lots of kicking and screaming. Pushing stuff over….normal stuff I think."

Bucky frowned at the faraway look in his partner's eyes, "Are you okay…he didn't say his first I hate you did he? Because you know that he just said it because he was angry right?"

Steve shook his head and smirked, "No…he was angry but thankfully not at me. Well, not really anyway…no, I just wanted to give you something."

Bucky raised a questioning eyebrow as Steve dug his hands under the pillows and brought out a small box. Bucky shook his head, "Is that-Stevie you didn't!"

"Yeah Bucks…now I know that we can't actually get married but…" he opened the box to reveal a silver ring, "…I love you, more than anything. Always have and always will."

"But….I can't exactly wear this on my finger Steve, no matter how much I want to!"

Steve smiled, pulling out his dog tags to reveal another ring hanging next to them on the chain, "I know…which is why I was wondering if you would do me the honour of wearing it on your dog tag chains?"

Bucky stared at the ring on Steve's dog tags for a few seconds before nodding silently, removing his own tags in order for the ring to be placed on them. Steve beamed happily as Bucky then placed the chain back around his neck, kissing Steve on the cheek afterwards. "I think you've made me the happiest guy in the whole world….but this don't make me your dame, you understand me punk?!"

"Yeah jerk…I get it. But you've got something wrong Bucks…"

"Oh? And what's that?"

"You've made me the happiest guy in the world…"


	7. Seaside Trip

I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter, please take the time to leave a comment/review as they make me very happy!

…

"Pew! Pew!"

Dugan watched as a three year old Oliver shot past him, aiming an imaginary gun at an imaginary foe, ducking down behind boxes as he pretended to take cover from the enemy. Turning to Falsworth, he was surprised to see his friend looking very down in the dumps. "What's up? You getting homesick or summit?"

Falsworth shook his head as he continued to stare at Oliver, who was still happily playing war. "Do you ever think that it was a bad idea to let Oliver grow up here? I mean, look at him! War's a game to him, despite everything that he's seen!"

Dugan frowned at the frustration in Falsworth's voice, but before he could say anything, the pair heard Captain Rogers call out for Sergeant Barnes. "Bucky! Bucky, I have them!"

Dugan and Falsworth watched as Bucky, who had been keeping a close eye on Oliver, stood up and met Steve at the halfway point. The pair talked quietly to each other before Bucky playfully punched Steve in the arm and grinned, "Nice going Punk, now maybe Oliver can see something other than mud and trees!"

The duo strode back into their tent with Bucky pausing only to scoop Oliver up off the floor, despite the kid's protests. Dugan frowned as the group came out around 10 minutes later, bags packed and ready to leave in one of the camp's jeeps. "What was that all about?"

"I believe that Captain Rogers was able to acquire day passes for him, Sergeant Barnes and little Oliver. Take him to the beach or something…he needs to get away from all of this, it's no place for a three year old!"

"And you think a magical trip out to the beach will solve all that? Look Falsworth, the kid has grown up around fighting and war…that always leaves its mark, no matter what you do! One happy day at the beach isn't going to get rid of the less peaceful memories…"

Falsworth nodded sadly, hearing Oliver's excited giggles as the jeep left the camp and headed towards the beach. "I hope you're wrong. The beach may be just what he needs."

…..

Oliver's eyes were wide as he watched the sea appear over the horizon. Whilst the weather was cloudy and downcast, the sight was still leaving quite the impression on the three year old. As they pulled up near the beach, Bucky had to grab his son around the waist so that he wouldn't just run off. "Whoa there kiddo! You don't have anything on your feet. Trust me when I say that you don't wanna be walking on a pebble beach with nothin' on your feet!"

Oliver scowled. He was going through a phase where he was taking his shoes off and then leaving them around whilst he ran around shoeless…it was a miracle that he hadn't suffered from a piece of glass in his foot. "No! I don't wan' any shoes Mommy!"

Bucky rolled his eyes. It was the same argument every time, both with the shoes and with the word 'Mommy'….nothing ever changed but he had a plan for the footwear problem. "I know you don't want any shoes kiddo but look…" Bucky pulled a new pair of combat boots out of his travel bag and held them up, "…now you have some big boy boots, just like your Daddy!"

Oliver just glared at the boots and shook his head, "Not int'rested!" Bucky sighed…he seriously regretted letting Peggy be the one to teach his kid 'proper English'…he'd begun to use very big words and talked back way too often for Bucky's liking….but that might be more Steve's influence.

"You're not gettin' a choice in this kiddo…now come here." For a second, it looked as though Oliver was going to throw a tantrum but Bucky was quick to hold up a silencing finger, "Ah, ah, ah! You sulk, we go back and you don't get to go to the beach!"

Oliver fell silent and continued to glare as Bucky helped him put these new boots on, tightly tying them so that Oliver would be unable to remove them without assistance. "There…" Bucky exclaimed triumphantly, "…try and get them off now!"

Oliver scowled as he tugged and pulled on the boots, finally giving up after a few minutes and slumping in his seat, pouting as Bucky chuckled. "Not funny Mommy!"

Bucky just laughed as the side door opened and Steve helped Oliver out of the jeep. "C'mon kiddo, time to get your first proper glimpse of the sea!" Steve lifted Oliver onto his shoulders as the group made their way unsteadily down a steep hill onto the pebbly beach.

Oliver bounced up and down on his Dad's shoulders excitedly as the sea came into clear view. "It's the sea! It's the sea!"

Steve and Bucky smiled at the joy in Oliver's voice, with Steve lifting the kid off of his shoulders and placing him down on the ground. Within a few seconds, Oliver was off and stumbling over the stones, his gleeful laughter echoing up and down the deserted beach. Bucky turned to Steve and grinned, "Well I think he's enjoying himself…although he's not gonna be so happy when he realises that he still can't take those boots off when he leaves our sight!"

Steve chuckled as he saw Oliver stop a few metres away from them, sit down and then attempt to remove the boots to no success. In the time that it took for Oliver to try and remove his boots, Steve and Bucky managed to catch up with him. Bucky chuckled, lifting Oliver up off the ground. "Hey, I told you kiddo! Now, come on…you don't wanna spend all day trying to take off your boots now do you? The sea's right there…"

Oliver paused for a few seconds before shaking his head and indicating that he wanted to be put down. Once Bucky did just that, Oliver was up and running again, this time straight towards the sea. Steve and Bucky were quick to keep up with him so that Oliver didn't just go rushing into the water, which may have been too much for the toddler to handle.

As it stands, they didn't have to worry about that. When Oliver reached the edge of the sea, he stopped in his tracks, the waves lapping against his boots. Steve and Bucky watched as Oliver ran away from the waves, only to run back when he saw the waves rolling away again. This pattern continued on for a few minutes before Oliver decided it was safer running behind his parents and glaring at the sea. "I don't wike it…"

Bucky and Steve laughed at the statement as Steve gently stroked Oliver's hair, "Why don't we go play by those rock pools eh? Maybe we'll see a crab or something?"

This cheered Oliver up. He had a few books that involved crabs so he was very eager to see one in real life. The small group wandered over to a large pile of rocks, where there were several small bodies of water, surrounded by smaller rocks. Oliver clambered over to one of them, slipping slightly as he came into contact with the wet seaweed, causing Bucky to frown in concern. "Careful Oli! The day really will be ruined if we have to stitch you up!"

Oliver just glanced back and grinned, leaning in close to the small pool in order to watch the small creatures inside. As they reached the pool, Steve quickly lifted him up off of the ground and placed him on his knees. "Don't get too close kiddo, you don't want to fall in!"

Oliver ignored him and wriggled impatiently as he saw something crawl across the rocks and into the water. "Crab! It a crab Daddy!"

Bucky gently grabbed Oliver's hand as the child reached out to touch the crab, "Ah, ah, ah! You don't wanna do that kiddo. Remember that book? Crab's hurt when they grab you with their pincers remember?!"

Oliver thought to himself for a few minutes before nodding sheepishly and retracting his hand, which he then used to grab onto his Dad's jacket in order to help steady himself. The small group sat there for hours, with both Steve and Bucky pointing out different creatures and watching Oliver's face light up with delight.

As the sun began to set, Oliver found himself in Bucky's arms as Steve sketched out the beach. It only took a few seconds for Oliver's head to fall against Bucky's shoulder, his eyes slipping shut as the day's events finally caught up with him.

….

He woke up almost an hour later, just as the jeep was pulling back into the camp. After Steve helped him out of the vehicle, Oliver sped off, his previous energy restored. Bucky watched him go and sighed, "I'm tired just watching him…"

Steve nodded and smirked, "But at least he'll actually sleep tonight instead of 'silently' playing with his teddy."

"Yeah, if we're lucky."

…..

Oliver whined in frustration as he tugged and pulled on his boots, almost toppling backwards off of the log that he was perched on.

"What's the matter with you mini Cap?"

Oliver glanced up at Dugan who was grinning at the pouting child, "I can't untie my boots Dugan! Mommy tied dem too tight!"

Dugan chuckled as he bent down to untie the boots…only to frown. They just wouldn't untie. "Damn Barnes…" he muttered, "…you were determined to keep these on his feet. Don't worry Oli, I'll get them off quicker than you can say Captain America!"

"Captain America!"

Dugan mock glared at the child before pulling on the laces some more, only to pull a penknife out of his belt. However, before he could cut through the knot of the laces, he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder, "Whoa Dugan! Those weren't cheap!" exclaimed Bucky.

Dugan ignored this and pointed at the laces, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "What did you do to these laces Barnes? It's like they're sewed together or glued! I can't get them off!"

Bucky frowned before bending down and then tugging on a single lace on each boot….which loosened the knot enabling Bucky to remove the boots. Straightening up, Bucky held the boots up with a triumphant grin. "One of my trick knots…tugging on it does nothing but tighten the knot. Tug on the right lace gently though, and it'll just come undone!"

Dugan shook his head and walked away, muttering about 'smartass Brooklyn brats'. Chuckling to himself, Bucky held the boots in one hand whilst scooping Oliver up in the other, "Come on kiddo. It's way past your bedtime and I'll be damned if I let you run about in the dark!"

Oliver squirmed as they entered the tent, fussing as Bucky helped him get changed into his pyjamas. He soon quietened down as Bucky tucked him in and began to tell him another story about his and Steve's past. Within seconds, Oliver was fast asleep and snuggling up to his tattered teddy bear.

Bucky smiled softly at him as Steve entered the tent behind him. "He asleep?" asked Steve quietly.

Bucky nodded as he and Steve began to get ready for bed themselves. "Yeah…hopefully he'll stay that way."

"With all the running about he did today, I'll be surprised if he wakes up for the rest of the night."

Bucky and Steve settled into bed, Bucky curling around his partner as he stared at Oliver in his own little cot. "Hey Steve…do you think we did the right thing?"

"What d'ya mean?"

"With Oli…is it such a good idea to be raising him here? I mean, he's already been hurt once and I know that Falsworth has been concerned about Oli's increased interest in war!"

"Well…maybe it's not the best place for a kid. But can you honestly say your life would be better if we'd given him up for adoption?"

Bucky paused for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Nah…he brightens the place up. I don't know, maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I can't help but think that this place is going to take away his childhood before he's ready."

"Well then…we'll just have to make his childhood as happy as we can then, won't we?"


	8. Mission

This is the last chapter of this part of the series, so please comment or review if you would like me to continue writing the second part of the series.

Please read and review :)

…..

"Momma…Momma!"

Bucky groaned as the voice of his four year old pierced into his subconscious. He buried his head further into Steve's chest as he desperately wished the child would just fall back asleep….they had a big mission today and he couldn't afford to be tired during it.

"Momma, I had a bad dream!"

Bucky shook his head and growled, "Yeah, what d'ya want me to do about it?!"

It took a few seconds, but then his paternal instincts kicked in. "O kiddo…kiddo, I'm sorry. " he sighed as he silently encouraged Oliver to climb up on the cot with him and Steve, who was now wide awake and making room for Oliver in between him and Bucky. It was a very cold night and neither of them wanted Oli to catch another cold.

Oliver snuggled under the covers and buried his face in his teddy's fur, "It was scary Momma! It was cold and you fell Momma! Daddy was crying and-and…" Oliver couldn't continue as he found himself gasping for breath as tears streamed down his face. Bucky and Steve glanced at each in concern.

The mission that they would be partaking in that day was in the Alps. They had received information about the movements of the Red Skull's head scientist, Armin Zola, and learned that he would be travelling by train across the Alps. The Howling Commandos would be sneaking onto the train in order to retrieve the man and bring him in.

"Kid…" began Bucky, rubbing a soothing hand on Oli's back in an attempt to calm him down, "…It was just a bad dream…nothing more okay?"

Oli frowned before nodding slowly, clearly not believing Bucky but being too tired to argue. With the repeated motion of Bucky's hand on his back, Oliver fell asleep within seconds…unaware of what was going to happen later that day.

…..

Bucky and Steve were just getting ready for the mission when they heard Peggy yell from her own personal work area. She sounded seriously annoyed, clearly yelling at someone….that someone soon became clear when Oliver shot towards the Howling Commandos, closely followed by Peggy. "OLIVER ROGERS. YOU STOP RIGHT THERE YOUNG MAN!"

Oliver ignored her and hid behind Steve's legs, peaking his head around them and glared at the agent. Steve glanced at both Oliver and then Peggy, frowning in confusion. "Peggy, what's wrong? What's happened?"

Peggy took a few deep breaths in order to calm herself down, before gesturing at Oliver. "Oliver here was playing near my work area and decided it would be funny to knock over all of my paperwork!"

Both Steve and Bucky frowned at Oliver, who was guiltily shuffling his feet and staring at the ground. "It was an accident…." He muttered, "….I bumped into them and they fell over!"

Peggy threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, "I saw you staring at them! And then you kicked the papers over, you didn't just bump into them!"

"Is this true?" asked Steve sternly as he got onto one knee in order to look Oliver in the eye. "Because if it is, then you know what I have to do?"

Oliver glanced up and shyly grinned, "We'll have to stay in the tent?"

Bucky rolled his eyes, "No, you'll have to stay in the tent, probably with Agent Carter whilst we go on the mission."

Oliver pouted, "I won't be good though! I'll be good if you're there because you tell me off!"

"I'm sure Peggy will have no problems telling you off…want's this all about anyway?" asked Bucky in concern as Oliver's eyes began to fill with tears.

"You can't go!" Oliver yelled, "You can't! You'll get hurt!"

The adults glanced at each other in concern as Oliver began to sob, wrapping his arms around Steve and burying his face in his Dad's neck, the occasional mumble becoming clear over the muffled sobs and cries of the four year old.

Bending down next to his partner, Bucky gently encouraged Oliver to look at him and smiled reassuringly, "No-one's gonna get hurt kiddo, it's a simple mission. All, we're going to do is get Zola! You know? That mean man I told you about in my stories, the one working with the Red Skull?"

Oliver frowned and nodded, "Yeah…but what if the Red Skull is there!"

Bucky grinned, "Then Captain America will save the day, just like he always does in those comics remember?"

Over the last couple of years of travelling, Howard had managed to obtain a few Captain America comics that he had given to Oliver as birthday gifts. Oliver loved them. Anything about his Dad saving the day made Oliver happy, although he giggled whenever Bucky Barnes showed up. There something about seeing his Momma as a teenager, that made Oliver laugh and Bucky scowl….Steve also found it funny but chose not to say anything. Bucky could hold a serious grudge against those who he sees as making fun of him.

Oliver grinned at his parents and nodded again, "You mean Dad will throw his shield at him!?"

"Yep. But you know kid…some very smart people have told us that the Red Skull isn't going to be there. It's just gonna be Zola and a few Hydra agents, that's all! Nothing we can't handle, hell! Even you can handle old Zola!"

Oliver's eyes lit up, "Really!? So I can come with you then!?"

Steve shook his head firmly, "No. You're far too young…maybe when you're older, but only maybe!"

Oliver pouted but before he could protest, Steve continued. "Now I know you're worried…but it'll all be fine. You know why?"

Oliver shook his head.

"Because we work as a team. Everyone has each other's back, so no-one gets badly hurt….okay?"

Oliver thought to himself for a few minutes before nodding slowly. "Okay…can I come on the next one though?"

Bucky and Steve glanced at each other before Bucky shrugged, "Of course, of course!"

Oliver didn't seem convinced, but allowed himself to be handed over to Agent Carter. Steve picked up his shield before gesturing at Peggy, "Now don't you have something to say to Peggy?"

Oliver glanced at Peggy before smiling at her and giving her a gentle hug. "I'm sorry I knocked over all your papers Peggy…really I am!"

Peggy nodded, "That's okay…but why don't you and I sort them out together hmmm? Whilst Sergeant Barnes and Captain Rogers are away?"

Oliver quickly nodded as he was passed back to Steve and Bucky in order for him to say goodbye. Bucky gave the kid a quick, but tight hug before passing him back to Peggy, "You have fun with Peggy kiddo, and I'll see you when we get back okay?"

Oliver nodded causing Bucky to grin, "Good boy…see you later, hopefully with a nutso scientist in our captivity." Bucky pulled a funny face to indicate his excitement, which made Oliver giggle as the Howling Commandos left the camp.

Both Peggy and Oliver watched them until the group was out of sight, with Oliver already looking forward to when he would see them again.

Little did he know that it would be a very long time before he would see his Momma again.


End file.
